Playing the oppression game
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
November 22, 2006 01:36 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/yasmin_alibhaibrown/2006/11/post_674.ht=
ml
We have lift off, emailed Sunny Hundal delightedly after he launched
our New Generation Network manifesto. Flying in a balloon on an
optimistic breeze I contemplate the possibilities we have freed up. Too
many wretched years have been wasted under communal political
management which skilfully divided and relabelled black and Asian
Britons to disable progressive politics. This operational model was
used effectively during colonialism and worked splendidly for New
Labour and "ethnic" henchmen until recently, of course, when both have
been panicked by home grown terrorism and self -segregation.
I can't remember when unelected religious and community leaders,
politicians and institutions decided the religious identity was primary
and that the broad black political movement was dead as was any claim
to multiple identities and complicated allegiances. But they did and it
was without our consent. Once human rights and equality activists
mobilised to stand up for all victims of racism and the internal
oppressions within groups, particularly violence against women and
children. Our compassion and action were not rationed, colour-coded or
preserved for our own kind. When Joy Gardener, a young black mother,
was killed by immigration officers in front of her young boy, we didn't
see her as an Afro-Caribbean cause; when a Hindu wife was burnt to
death because she didn't bring a big enough dowry we didn't consider
that to be a little local difficulty to be sorted by the community.
Realism has beaten idealism
Alex Bigham
November 22, 2006 02:24 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/alex_bigham/2006/11/changing_course_in_=
the_new_mid.html
With events in Lebanon potentially reverting back towards the verge of
civil war, the "New Middle East" that Tony Blair referred to during the
summer's conflict is beginning to take shape.
This new Middle East is increasingly being directed by powers such as
Iran and Syria, while the traditional heavyweight Israel fights its own
internal battles. The assassination of Pierre Gemayel, an outspoken
critic of Syria, may be a sign the regime in Damascus is trying to get
a foothold back in Lebanon. In addition, the announcement of a weekend
summit in Tehran with the Iraqi and Syrian foreign ministers, while it
should be welcomed, shows that Iran also has the initiative in the
Middle East now - trying to transform their role from members of the
"axis of evil" to "partners for peace".
Who did it?
Dilip Hiro
November 22, 2006 04:35 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/dilip_hiro/2006/11/post_678.html
Since Pierre Gemayel, the assassinated Lebanese minister, belonged to
the anti-Syrian coalition in the government, most commentators and
politicians concluded that Syria was behind the murder.
But, according to James Steinberg, a deputy national security adviser
to former United States president Bill Clinton, Syria was only "one
possible suspect" in a region where politics amounts to "wheels within
wheels within wheels." He added, "If you look at it rationally, the
Syrians are on a semi-roll now, so why would they do something like
that?"
Follow that rainbow
Robert Fox
November 22, 2006 05:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/robert_fox/2006/11/post_679.html
Tony Blair was clearly in need of help from Connie Fisher, our sparkly
new Maria of Sound of Music fame, when he delivered his soundbite of
destiny in the Helmand desert this week. Instead of telling the British
lads and lasses they were deciding "the fate of world security in the
early 21st century" he surely wanted to sing:
Climb every mountain, ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream.
A climate of censorship
Brendan O'Neill
November 22, 2006 06:15 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brendan_oneill/2006/11/a_climate_of_cen=
sorship.html
In a speech to the Royal United Services Institute on November 9,
foreign secretary Margaret Beckett called on the media to deny
terrorists and their supporters a platform. While it might help to
generate "tense exchanges" it also "artificially polarises debate".
That is a fairly typical Foreign Office line. But then she said
something shocking. "I've seen [the same thing] in the long-running
debate on climate change: wheel out the resident sceptic, however
unrepresentative or discredited, to generate tension and voice
provocative views in the name of editorial balance. It makes for more
heated exchanges and louder headlines. But it is not the way to build a
common consensus on the ground we share."
Time running out on peace process
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldbriefing/0,,1324846,00.html
Simon Tisdall
Wednesday November 22, 2006
The Guardian
Lebanon's latest assassination has underscored how dangerously high the
Middle East stakes have risen in the years since 9/11 and the Iraq
invasion - and how intricately interconnected are the region's
multiple, ongoing tragedies. But while illustrating the problem, Pierre
Gemayel's death also underscored the persisting, corrosive lack of an
agreed solution. Those who hope for peace are grasping at straws. Those
who seek only greater destruction are gaining the upper hand.
There must be plain speaking at the end of the red carpet
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1954620,00.html
The Kazakh president may have joked about Borat, but his regime's human
rights record is no laughing matter
Timothy Garton Ash
Thursday November 23, 2006
The Guardian
Tony, jagshemash! Jagshemash, Elizabeth! President Nursultan Nazarbayev
of Kazakhstan, cordially received in London this week by Tony Blair and
Her Majesty the Queen, has proved himself to be a really good sport by
taking humorously the satirical portrayal of his country in Sacha Baron
Cohen's film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit
Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. "This film was created by a comedian, so
let's laugh at it," said the genial president at a joint press
conference with Tony Blair, earning praise from the Sun. Good old
Nursultan, friend of Britain, ***** Cheney, BP, Chevron and Shell.
Whoever pulled the trigger, Syria's allies are the losers
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1954670,00.html
The latest assassination in Lebanon has bolstered the US-backed
government and weakened Hizbullah and the opposition
Charles Harb
Thursday November 23, 2006
The Guardian
The assassination of Pierre Gemayel, a Lebanese cabinet minister and
scion of a ruling Christian Maronite family, in Beirut on Tuesday has
sent shockwaves through the country's establishment and is shaping the
political feud raging throughout the country.
Given the timing, location and method of the killing - a sophisticated
shooting in the heart of Christian east Beirut at the height of a
political crisis - there is already rampant speculation as to the
identity and sponsors of the assassins. That will doubtless remain the
case even after the criminal investigation is complete. The
consequences of this for Lebanon and the wider Middle East are already
starting to become clear.
The paralysis of creation
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1954671,00.html
In the face of global warming, we must thaw our imaginations to stage
and map the future
Steve Walters
Thursday November 23, 2006
The Guardian
The scientist James Lovelock predicts that global warming may compel
our generation to discover the sort of heroism his displayed in the war
against fascism. Yet the elusive challenges of climate change won't
serve as a call to arms until we unlock our imagination from its
current paralysis.
Admittedly the facts are pretty paralysing. The problems before us feel
too massive for human intervention, too complex for the layperson, too
scientific for democracy, with every way forward mired in controversy;
add immobilising invocations of terrorism as background music and it's
all too tempting just to sit back, burn the patio-heater and leave the
DVD on permanent standby.
Beware of Trident-lite
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1954674,00.html
A hasty decision to renew the nuclear arms system would deny us the
debate we deserve
Richard Norton-Taylor
Thursday November 23, 2006
The Guardian
The cabinet is expected to have its first discussion today on a
decision that will have momentous consequences, of the kind that
surfaces once in a generation. We could be forgiven for assuming it is
a forgone conclusion. But is it? The issue is the future of Britain's
nuclear deterrent, now in the form of four submarines, each able to
carry 16 US Trident missiles, each of which can carry 12 warheads. In
the Commons yesterday Tony Blair repeated his well-worn, indeed
predictable, view that Britain should retain an "independent" nuclear
deterrent, a position echoed by Gordon Brown in the summer as he began
to dress up in prime ministerial clothes.
Peace talks
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1954842,00.html
What do young Palestinians and Israelis think about the chances of
peace in the Middle East? Emine Saner joins four activists trying to
find common ground at an unofficial summit in London
Thursday November 23, 2006
The Guardian
Despite the freezing temperature of the London hotel room, the
atmosphere is far from frosty. Israelis Yoav Sucary and Moran Avital
are sitting next to Aya Hijazi, a Palestinian, and we are waiting for
her colleague, Odeh Awwad. The four, who are youth leaders for an
organisation called OneVoice, are here to give a series of talks at
universities and to meet leaders and politicians.
They met in person only days ago. What is most striking is the optimism
they share - that, and a sense of humour. When I stand in front of the
closed door, Sucary warns me that Awwad, a strapping 25-year-old, is
due to burst in and will knock me flying. "We don't want another victim
of the Arab-Israeli conflict," he laughs. Sucary and Awwad, who have
built up an odd friendship in the few days they have known each other,
bonded, Awwad tells me , over football - Awwad supports Liverpool,
Sucary follows Leeds. There have been a lot of arguments too. "But we
can talk, we can have a laugh," says Awwad. "We don't have to love each
other. He is my enemy and I am his enemy, but that doesn't mean we
can't talk and try to come up with a resolution."
Kabul goes mad for wild sport
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,1954808,00.html
Declan Walsh in Kabul
Thursday November 23, 2006
The Guardian
Money, violence, barely contained chaos and an unbridled struggle for
power - it has all the elements of a classic battle. But this is sport,
not war: a new season of buzkashi, Afghanistan's wild national game,
has just begun.
Some say the game, a heartstopping contest where hundreds of horse
riders wrestle over a decapitated animal carcass, is the key to
understanding Afghanistan. It certainly has some striking similarities
to the country's turbulent politics: too many players, too few rules
and regular confusion about who is in control. But can it help cement
much-needed national unity?
After decades of opposition, Vatican view on condoms begins to shift
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,,1954759,00.html
John Hooper in Rome
Thursday November 23, 2006
The Guardian
The Roman Catholic church has taken the first step towards what could
be a historic shift away from its total ban on the use of condoms.
Pope Benedict XVI's "health minister" is understood to be urging him to
accept that in restricted circumstances - specifically the prevention
of Aids - barrier contraception is the lesser of two evils.
Dutch recover their courage
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,,1954326,00.html
Election day in the Netherlands sees a return to the country's
traditional values of tolerance, libertarianism and irreverence, writes
Nicholas Watt
Wednesday November 22, 2006
Guardian Unlimited
Standing bolt upright in a tightly fitting suit, which showed the
contours of a thick bullet-proof vest underneath, the armed bodyguard
could barely contain the giggles. "Yes, you'd better keep that a
secret," he joked with a Greenpeace protester when Guardian Unlimited
asked Joris Thyssew how he had managed to infiltrate the Dutch prime
minister's final election rally.
As the prime ministerial bodyguard kept a tight grip on Mr Thyssew's
arm, the giggles intensified as Guardian Unlimited asked whether he had
been arrested for absailing into Jan Peter Balkenende's speech.
History be dammed
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,,1954339,00.html
Campaigners are opposing an irrigation project they fear could destroy
priceless symbols of Iran's pre-Islamic heritage, writes Robert Tait
Wednesday November 22, 2006
Guardian Unlimited
He founded the world's first multinational empire, was celebrated in
the Bible and Qur'an and is recognised as ancient Persia's greatest
king. But now the 2,500-year-old tomb in which Cyrus the Great rests is
at risk from one of the many vast dam projects that Iran's present
rulers say is vital to future development.
Conservationists, including the UN's heritage body, Unesco, say the
=A315.5m Sivand dam threatens the long-term survival of the historic
tomb and the remains of several adjoining palaces at Pasargad in
southern Iran.
The issue highlights a classic conflict in contemporary Iran. The
urgent need for water in a parched region on the one hand, versus the
desire to preserve remnants of an ancient civilisation, in which most
Iranians express great pride, on the other.
Putting the clash in perspective, cultural heritage campaigners point
out that Iran has always had an urgent demand for water and warn that
priceless reminders of the glory of historic Persia are being
jeopardised needlessly for short-term gain.
Genetic breakthrough that reveals the differences between humans
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article2007490.ece
Scientists hail genetic discovery that will change human understanding
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Published: 23 November 2006
Scientists have discovered a dramatic variation in the genetic make-up
of humans that could lead to a fundamental reappraisal of what causes
incurable diseases and could provide a greater understanding of
mankind.
The discovery has astonished scientists studying the human genome - the
genetic recipe of man. Until now it was believed the variation between
people was due largely to differences in the sequences of the
individual "letters" of the genome.
Pioneers in a new age of discovery
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article2007491.ece
By Steve Connor
Published: 23 November 2006
The story behind yesterday's discovery goes back to 1953, when two
young scientists at Cambridge University worked out that DNA came in
the beautiful three-dimensional structure of a double helix.
With that insight, Jim Watson and Francis Crick opened the way to
explaining two of the most important features of the DNA molecule of
inheritance: how it stored the information of the genes, and how it
replicated this information for the benefit of subsequent generations.
The second half of the 20th century was the age of the new biology,
when molecular genetics began to explain many of the distinguishing
features of humanity, from inherited diseases to the origins of man.
Fred Sanger, one of the many Nobel laureates at the Laboratory of
Molecular Biology in Cambridge - in fact Sanger won two - laid the
groundwork for the modern techniques of DNA sequencing, the unravelling
of the individual letters of the genetic code.
Robert Fisk: Gemayel's mourners know that in Lebanon nothing is what it
seems
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article2007485.ece
Published: 23 November 2006
In the house of mourning, an old Lebanese home of cut stone, they did
not show Pierre Gemayel's body. They had sealed the lid - so terribly
damaged was his face by the bullets which killed him - as if the
nightmares of Lebanon might thus be kept away in the darkness of the
grave.
But the Maronites and Greek Orthodox, the Druze and - yes - the Muslims
who came to pay their condolences to Gemayel's wife, Patricia, and his
broken father, Amin, wept copiously beside the flag-draped casket. They
understood the horrors that could unfold in the coming days and their
dignity was a refusal to accept that possibility.
The quest for clean energy: China's green revolution
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2007478.ece
The air in Beijing was classified as 'hazardous' this week as the city
became choked with smog, but following dire warnings of rampant
pollution, alternatives are emerging. By Clifford Coonan reports
Published: 23 November 2006
Desert winds drive the turbines in the vast wind farm on the outskirts
of Urumqi, dusty capital of the north-western Chinese region of
Xinjiang, and day-trippers come from the city to photograph the
spectacular sight in the barren wilderness.
Just down the road, white-domed houses in a village of Central Asian
Uighurs use solar power to provide their energy. In the province of
Gansu, officials have announced plans to build the world's largest
solar power station, part of efforts to ease China's dependence on
coal. In fast-moving, sophisticated Shanghai, China's biggest city and
its financial hub, hundreds of thousands of householders are using
solar panels to heat the water for their morning showers.
Presidency falling apart at the seams for Bush and his entourage
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2007476.ece
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
Published: 23 November 2006
His foreign policy is in tatters. He has just suffered a sweeping
electoral defeat. And now - from Buenos Aires to Hawaii and Vietnam -
even the clockwork-like operation to protect and ferry around George
Bush and the rest of America's first family seems to be coming apart at
the seams.
In the first of four incidents in the space of 48 hours this week, the
President's 24-year-old daughter Barbara had her handbag stolen while
out in the Argentine capital on Sunday, despite the round-the-clock
protection she and her twin sister Jenna are provided by the US Secret
Service.
A new direction
Jeffrey Sachs
November 23, 2006 09:15 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jeffrey_sachs/2006/11/post_670.html
On January 1, 2007, Ban Ki-Moon, South Korea's former foreign minister,
will become United Nations secretary general, following Kofi Annan's 10
year tenure. Annan inspired the world with his diplomacy and leadership
on poverty reduction and human rights, but the war in Iraq divided the
world and drew attention and financial resources away from crisis
regions and critical long-term problems like climate change, disease
control, sustainable energy, and access to water. With the recent
elections in the United States and the rise of Asia's global influence,
there is an opportunity to turn the world's attention to the most
critical challenges facing our planet.
In addition to the long-term challenges of poverty, the environment,
nuclear proliferation, and UN reform, the new secretary general will
inherit a long list of hotspots: Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine,
Lebanon, Somalia, Myanmar, Sudan, North Korea, and others. Recent
attempts to influence developments in these countries through threats
and sanctions, and sometimes war, have failed. Most are less stable
today than they were five years ago. Clearly, a new approach is needed.
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